Bust supporter



Feb. 12, 1952 MEARES 2,585,338

BUST SUPPORTER Filed July 2, 1949 her 4770mm Patented Feb. 12, 1952 TENT OFFICE BUST SUPPORTER Lillian J. Meares, Rutherford, N. J., assignor to Venus Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 2, 1949, Serial No. 102,769

1 Claim.

This invention relates to bust supporters.

The object of the invention is to provide a bust supporter so constructed as to enable the infant to be fed, without the necessity of removing the usual shoulder straps, and. so constructed as to form a satisfactory bust supporter during the non-feeding time.

For this purpose, the invention consists of a bust supporter having a main body portion which acts to support the busts, and which has inwardly thereof, pockets for removable drip pads, and which has a front member extending over the front of the main portion in overlapping relationship, to coordinate with the main portion, so as to form a complete bust support with the main portion, during non-feeding time, but which when disconnected from the main support and bent upwardly, permits exposure of the top portion of the main body portion, to enable infant feeding.

The invention embodies structural features to carry out the foregoing, and make a compact and strong and eflicient structure.

The invention will be further described, an embodiment thereof shown in the drawings, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective front view of the improved bust supporter, with one side closed, and the other side open;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 22 of F g. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the improved bust supporter, with both sides closed, showing also the rear parts; and

Fig. 5 is a partial front view of Fig. 1, showing the open right hand portion, without the drip pad.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawings, the supporter Ill has the usual body enveloping portion I3, as shown in Fig. 4., openable at the rear, with shoulder straps l I,adjustable at [2.

The body portion [3 has at its front a gore M of elastic material, as shown, and extends around the body of the wearer to be held by a strap and buckle, as shown. The lower edge of the body portion I3 is substantially straight and the upper edge l5 is concavely curved having two parts l6 and 5! formed in curved outward shape l9 to accommodate a bust, which is attained by the darts l8. At the sides of each bust support formed by the body portion, a front member is secured at 2| and 22. The ends of the front member are secured by stitching one to a vertical staylike formation 23, formed by overlapping material and double stitching 24, and the other end to stitching 21 to the adjacent end of the other front member. The overlapping material with the stitching 21, forms a central strengthening rib. As stated the front member 20 has two like parts, joined at the central portion by a double lined stitching 21, which at the same time secures the front member to the main body portion.

The important feature is that the main body portion acts as a bust supporter, and that the front member is so shaped as to conform to the main body portion, so that the two overlapping members form so to say one member to support the busts.

The main body member I3 has a rear pocket 29 formed by a rear pocket forming piece 28, which is stitched to the lower edge portion of the main body l3, and has its upper edge extended in curved manner upwardly to be secured at its ends to the main body member at its rear (Figs. 2 and 3, and the curved dotted line in Fig. 5). The object of the pocket 29, is to receive a liquid absorbing pad, which is replaceable and preferably of the type described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,987,965 of January 15, 1935, granted June 25, 1934. A drip pad is shown in Fig. 1 but omitted in the other figures.

The lower edge of the front member 20 is shaped into a general V shape extension 30 to enable its tip to extend almost to the bottom edge of the main member at its lowest portion, and is provided with a fastening device 3|, such as a socket to cooperate with its matching member 32, secured to the main member. The front member extension 30 when unfastened may be bent upwardly over the main portion of the front member, and when so disposed, access to the upper portion of the main member may be had, which on being slightly lowered permits the bust to feed the infant. After feeding, the front member is again closed down and fastened and then acts as a part of the bust supporter as described.

'While the extension is bent up (Fig. 3), its lateral portions act as hinges 33 and 34.

The shoulder straps have an adjustable detachable connection with a V-shaped elastic band 35, of which each leg 36 is secured to the top edge of the front member, and the loop so formed has a hook to engage suitable notches in the shoulder straps, in the well known manner.

The double stitching shown by the parallel dotted lines along the margins strengthens the material to form a rib like strengthening member.

One of the advantages of the improved structure is that the infant may be fed, without unloosening the shoulder straps, and also and perhaps more important, that the infant feeding bust supporter is so constructed as to assure a satisfactory support when not used in the feeding position.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

In a bust support having a main body portion for partially encircling the body of the user and having detachable belt portions at its rear ends completing the encirclement of said body, said belt portions having the rear ends of shoulder straps secured thereto, the combination of said body portion having an upper edge having pockets at its front for the reception of drip pads, said pockets opening at said upper edge of said body portion, said body portion having a lower substantially straight circumferential edge and curved contour portions between said upper and lower edges for the reception of the breasts, and a front member having its ends and median portion secured to the main body portion at the front of the same, and having curved contours extending from above the upper edge of said body portion toward said lower circumferential edge and in proximity thereto, forming flap like extensions extending in overlapping faying relationship with the curved contour portions of the main body portions, means detachably fastening said flaps at their free lower ends to the main body portion, and means detachably fastening the upper parts of the front member to the front ends of said shoulder straps, whereby said flaps may be fastened to the lower part of the main body portion, the curved contours of the front member conforming to the contours of the bust portion of the main body member, and enclosing the top curved portions of the pockets of the main body portion, and said flap like extensions may be disconnected and folded up, for access to the upper edge of the main body portion and to the pocket openings, for infant feeding.

LILLIAN J. MEARES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,217,441 Guinzburg Feb. 27, 1917 1,989,382 Schnaittacher Jan. 29, 1935 2,141,408 Rosenthal Dec. 27, 1938 2,258,209 De Jorio Oct. 7, 1941 2,305,051 Witkower Dec. 15, 1942 2,400,499 Gerace May 21, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 881,406 France Apr. 23, 1943 

